By Our Reporters
Beti Kamya’s Kampala Ministry can only exist politically but in actual sense it’s of no consequence when it comes to positively impacting on the lives of the people. This is according to outgoing NPA Chairman Dr Kisamba Mugerwa who is proposing to have the Ministry scrapped because there is no work for its current occupant Beti Kamya. In a phone interview, Kisamba tells this news website that the elected Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago is legally the political head of Kampala “and there is no way you can have any other political head.” He says with Jennifer Musisi ably serving as the ED, there is no work left to necessitate the office of Minister for Kampala. A diehard Museveni supporter but one who is renowned for speaking his mind to the President, Kisamba says his NRM government only created that office to politically counter Lukwago after failing to get their own candidate win in Kampala. “I’m sure if the elected Mayor was from the ruling NRM, that office of Kampala Minister wouldn’t have been created,” said Kisamba who had earlier in the day made similar remarks during the 88.8 CBS fm news interview. He was reflecting his regret to have the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Planning Authority take off during his time as NPA Chairman. Being the government think tank charged with long term development planning, NPA was the main sponsor of this Metropolitan Plan that didn’t immediately take off during Kisamba’s tenure because of the hostility from elected leaders in the local governments of districts surrounding Kampala. At some point, Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze appeared on NBS Morning Breeze and physically fought with Beti Kamya. She accused her of disrespecting elected leaders in the local governments surrounding Kampala. Kisamba now says whereas this is a good plan and the only way to bring comprehensive development in the Metropolitan Area, it would be imprudent to have the Kampala Ministry to politically be the one in charge of its implementation. “In fact that will be encroaching on the mandate of the Ministry of Lands which is responsible for urban planning and development. I now realize that’s the ministry that should be in charge. There is simply no way that Kampala ministry can have any relevance and do any work without encroaching on others’ mandate. How do they interface with the local governments in the Metropolitan Area without encroaching on the mandate of the local government ministry? It’s simply impossible. How do you have two political heads for Kampala? You simply can’t and this is why the clashes we have seen between Beti Kamya and the leaders at City Hall are simply inevitable,” Kisamba explains.
He says he realizes how controversial his proposal to scrap the Kampala Ministry is “but I can’t chicken out of this debate because these are my strong views about this matter as an experienced person.” He adds: “The current occupant Beti Kamya can become innovative and say I’m politically mobilizing the youths in Kampala but where does that leave the Ministry of Gender? Isn’t that their primary mandate to plan for the youth? I think that ministry of Kampala needs to be scrapped because it doesn’t any value. That’s the bitter truth.” Kisamba, who as NPA Chairman has been sitting in Cabinet as an ex-officio member, says his views are well known to other colleagues in government because he has never been shy about them regarding the future of the Kampala Ministry. He says even if Lukwago and Musisi at KCCA had chosen to keep quiet, Kamya would inevitably clash with other ministries like that of Lands, Local Government or even Gender for encroaching on their mandate. “There is no way she can do any work or perform any function without conflicting with other entities of government. That’s why I’m not ashamed to propose that we don’t need that ministry and it has no future. That one I can tell you,” observes Kisamba whose view is that no elected political leader would allow to see his or her powers usurped by the Minister of Kampala even if that Mayor was from the ruling NRM party. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
